Psychology Today
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Insight about everybody's favorite subject: Ourselves.
There are a lot of reasons to exercise, and new research just confirmed an especially powerful one: It is as effective in halting depression as medication or therapy. Here's why. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evid...
For Depression, Exercise Can Be as Effective as Medication and Therapy
Starting small and recruiting friends can help build a routine.
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"What makes panic overwhelming is what we imagine will happen. When we conquer our belief that panic is going to include something worse, we’re free to face the panic itself." www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/thin...
The Secret Behind Panic (and How to Escape It)
The catastrophes we fear aren't real.
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“Living the good life,” as Greek philosophers defined it, doesn't mean accumulating wealth, power, and material things. Rather, it means that we are acting well and living for society, not just for ourselves. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
The Deeper Meaning of Authentic Happiness
True happiness cannot be pursued; it must ensue from the pursuit of meaning.
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From the power of pausing to the skill of ignoring, we've collected 26 simple, proven, and actionable ways to gain a greater sense of control and live a more meaningful life. Start here. www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/...
The 26 Keys to Thriving
We live in chaotic times. People want to optimize themselves every which way. And yet it is possible to thrive, not by doing more faster but by distinguishing signal from noise.
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Many men feel stuck between two realities. They truly value relationships, health, purpose, and family, but they still feel judged based on their financial situation. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
Provider Paradox: Why Men Feel Judged by Standards They Don't Believe In
Many men feel stuck between two realities. They truly value relationships, health, purpose, and family, but they still feel judged about their financial situation.
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Simply knowing how poverty impacts cognition can help everyday people make wiser decisions or avoid making important decisions during times of scarcity. Here's why that matters. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/psyc...
How Money Impacts Your Thinking Ability
The unexpected force that can hurt your ability to make smart decisions.
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"Pornmaxxing," or performing pornographic scripts in pursuit of a partner's approval, appears to be on the rise among young couples. "Love Island" may be amplifying the phenomenon. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cons...
What Is Pornmaxxing? "Love Island" and the Performance of Desire
Pornmaxxing is the practice of performing pornographic scripts in pursuit of a partner's approval. "Love Island" is a cultural amplifier of this dynamic, normalizing these behaviors.
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"Pornmaxxing," or performing pornographic scripts in pursuit of a partner's approval, appears to be on the rise among young couples. "Love Island" may be amplifying the phenomenon. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cons...
What Is Pornmaxxing? "Love Island" and the Performance of Desire
Pornmaxxing is the practice of performing pornographic scripts in pursuit of a partner's approval. "Love Island" is a cultural amplifier of this dynamic, normalizing these behaviors.
psychologytoday.com
In a loving relationship, honesty is the best policy, research shows, just maybe not all the time. In situations like these, a lie may almost be necessary.
2 Lies That Every Relationship Needs
Relentless truth-telling is more likely to do damage than to help.
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In dysfunctional families, the scapegoat is typically blamed for recognizing and calling out truths that others deny. It's a painful place to be, but also a reflection of some important strengths. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/conq...
The Family Scapegoat Is Often the Truth-Teller
If you were the family scapegoat, you may have been blamed for seeing the dysfunction that the rest of your family denied. This is both painful and a reflection of your strengths.
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Bad news for multitasking fans: Human brains cannot actually engage in two cognitive tasks at once. Here are the single-tasking techniques that productivity experts recommend instead. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/deci...
The Power of Single-Tasking
Time-boxing, time-blocking, and “deep work."
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The most intelligent people understand that their mental, physical, and emotional resources are finite and need to be protected, so what may look like laziness could signal cognitive sophistication. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soci...
3 "Lazy" Habits That Are Actually Signs of Intelligence
2. Sleeping a lot.
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Research shows that adults today don't do a great job of holding onto their old friends, and that's a problem because making new friends is getting harder and harder. These tips could help. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/i-he...
Why Making Friends as an Adult Is So Hard
Be patient, invest in "weak ties," and keep showing up.
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Narcissistic parents are typically more focused on appearances and admiration from others and have little mental space to care for children the way healthy parents might. Here is the lifetime cost for the child. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soci...
3 Roles the Children of Narcissists May Carry Into Adulthood
2. The scapegoat.
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Telling someone who's struggling, "Don't worry" or "You'll be fine," doesn't give them comfort. It's more likely to be taken as a rejection. Here's how to build connection instead of distance. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/rela...
The Hidden Way You're Pushing People Away
Telling someone "don't worry" or "you'll be fine" when they're struggling isn't comfort. It's rejection in disguise.
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Do you sometimes care so much that it hurts? When empathy drains you, lessons from the Stoics, supported by neuroscience, can help you care fiercely and still maintain your peace. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
The Stoic’s Guide to Caring Deeply Without Losing Yourself
How to balance empathy, boundaries, and peace of mind.
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Terminal lucidity—brief, unexpected returns of clarity shortly before death—challenges our notions of human cognition. But new research may finally deliver explanations for the phenomenon. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/cons...
When the Mind Returns
Some people with advanced dementia show sudden, brief returns of clarity near the end of life—speaking, remembering, reconnecting. What is terminal lucidity?
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You've probably heard a lot about "toxic masculinity” and how widespread it is, so you may be surprised that very little research had been done on it. New findings offer some reassurance.
Good News: A New Study Finds Most Men Are Not Toxic
A study uncovered both "hostile" and "benevolent" toxicity.
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Doing the right thing—even when no one is watching—can lead to lasting psychological rewards. Among them are deeper relationships, a clearer purpose, and a sense of integrity. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/mode...
Why Good People Are Happier People
Stronger relationships, a firmer sense of self, and more.
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Have you ever written down the life you hope to have? It may seem simple, but research suggests that putting your values, goals, and experiences into words can help you gain clarity—and take meaningful steps toward the future you want. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/bull...
Life Crafting: How Writing Helps You Get the Life You Want
Stop letting daily distractions derail your focus and learn how targeted writing can help you get what you want out of life.
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Research shows that adults today don't do a great job of holding onto their old friends, and that's a problem because making new friends is getting harder and harder. These tips could help. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/i-he...
Why Making Friends as an Adult Is So Hard
Be patient, invest in "weak ties," and keep showing up.
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Your brain actually gets stronger when you do hard things. Seriously. That's neuroplasticity in action. Here's how to take advantage of it. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
Embrace the Suck: Discomfort Can Build a Better You
The sweet spot is just outside your comfort zone—hard, but doable.
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Narcissistic parents are typically more focused on appearances and admiration from others and have little mental space to care for children the way healthy parents might. Here is the lifetime cost for the child. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soci...
3 Roles the Children of Narcissists May Carry Into Adulthood
2. The scapegoat.
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Falling in love is intoxicating and joyful, but when that spark of fun and giddiness starts to fade, too many partners worry that their relationship is broken. Here's why they're wrong. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/get-...
Long-Term Relationships Are No Fun
They aren't dopamine-drenched like early love, but they give you more in return.
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When someone close to us feels down, it can be hard to know how to help improve their mood. Fortunately, research suggests six strategies that can help. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/pers...
6 Proven Ways to Help Someone Feel Better
5. Target-focused engagement.
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Intelligence isn’t a single, fixed trait that you can measure and quantify in one go. In reality, it’s a collection of abilities that work together in different ways, depending on the situation. Here's what everyone needs to know about fluid intelligence. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soci...
The Most Misunderstood Form of Intelligence
What if intelligence had less to do with knowledge and more to do with novelty?
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Why do some people keep landing in unhealthy relationships again and again? This research might explain it. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/soci...
3 Reasons Some People Keep Repeating Toxic Relationship Patterns
1. Pain is familiar, safety is not.
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Pop culture has led people to misunderstand therapists. The truth is, when they're not in sessions, they're not analyzing everyone they meet, and they're often dealing with issues of their own. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
The Truth About Your Therapist
Behind the clinical veneer lies a liberating truth: Shrinks aren't perfect, and they aren't quietly analyzing your every move.
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"We don’t need to exclude negative emotions from our experience. A rich emotional life characterized by breadth, variety, abundance, and evenness of emotions is itself a valuable component of a good life." www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/betw...
Beyond Chasing Happiness: Our Rich Emotional Lives
A good life does not necessarily involve mustering ceiling-levels of positivity and extinguishing all traces of negativity.
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We can’t control the waves of thoughts and emotions that we experience, but we can learn to surf them. This is how. www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-...
How Not to Be Owned by Your Emotions and Thoughts
We can’t control the waves of thoughts and emotions that we experience, but we can learn to surf them.
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